Emptying the home of someone you’ve lost is hard in ways most people don’t expect. The physical work is tiring, and the decisions are worse. There’s no right way to do it and no schedule you have to follow except your own. Below is what we’ve seen work for the families we help.
Take it slowly if you can
Unless a sale or a lease is setting a deadline, you don’t have to do this quickly. Relatives, the situation, and your own head can all push you to get it over with. People often regret rushing through a parent’s things, though. Start when you feel up to it, take breaks, and let it take as long as it takes.
1. Find the important papers first
Before anything gets sorted or thrown out, go through the house once looking only for paperwork. That means the will, bank and financial records, insurance policies, the deed or mortgage, car titles, tax returns, and any prepaid funeral arrangements. Check desks, filing cabinets, and nightstands, and also the odd places. People tape things under drawers and leave them in books, coat pockets, and even the freezer. Put everything you find in one box and keep it apart from the rest.
2. Collect the small valuables
Next, gather the small things that are easy to lose and hard to replace. Jewelry, watches, cash, coins, medals, and photos all belong in this group. A house can have a lot of people in and out during this time, so pick these up early and keep them somewhere safe, preferably out of the house.
3. Sort into a few simple piles
Once you get to the rest of the house, keep the choices simple. Most families use something like these:
- Keep: things for you and your family
- Give: things your loved one would have wanted specific people to have
- Donate: usable items that can help someone else
- Sell: anything worth real money, if you have the time
- Let go: whatever is worn out or broken
One tip saves a lot of second-guessing. Start with an easy room like a bathroom, a utility closet, or the garage instead of the bedroom. You get some momentum going, and the more personal rooms can wait until you feel up to them.
4. Talk with family early
If brothers, sisters, or other relatives are involved, talk before anything leaves the house. Everyone grieves differently, and belongings can end up carrying a lot of feeling. Agree ahead of time on how to handle things more than one person wants, and give everyone a chance to take what matters to them before the house is cleared. Families more often fall out over small things than big ones, and a conversation up front heads off most of it.
5. Decide what to do with everything else
Once the papers, keepsakes, and valuables are set aside, what’s left is usually most of the house: furniture, appliances, and the everyday contents of every room. It’s the heaviest and most draining part, and you don’t have to do it yourself.
Usable furniture and household goods can go to local charities. A lot of families find comfort in knowing a parent’s things will be used by someone else. For the rest, this is usually when people call a junk removal company to clear the house.
That’s the part we help with. We clear the whole house, set aside anything meaningful we find so it can go back to you, donate what’s usable, and leave the place empty and swept. We work on your timeline, and you don’t have to be local. You can read more about how our estate cleanouts work any time.
If you live in another state
Plenty of people handle this from far away, on top of their own jobs and families. If someone can let a crew into the house, you may not need to travel for the cleanout itself. Phone calls and photos are usually enough to keep the work moving while you deal with everything else.
One more thing
Emptying a house can feel like losing the person again, especially on the hard days. Keep what means something to you and let the rest go where it’ll be useful. Be as patient with yourself as you would be with a friend going through the same thing.
Ryan’s Junk Truck clears homes for families across Bristol County and the Providence area. When you want to talk it through, call 508-463-6150.